A combination of coating and modified atmosphere packaging preserves the color and phytochemicals of ripe frozen mango slices

Abstract

A combination of coating pretreatment and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was studied for preserving frozen ripe mango slices. MAP treatment with O2 concentrations of 0.96–3.23 % effectively maintained mango slice color, while the CaCl2 coating (CA) yielded mangoes with the highest L* value. Mahachanok ripe mango contains quinic acid, gallic acid, and coumaric acid derivatives, among which trigonelline and di- and tripeptides are the main alkaloids and other nitrogen-containing compounds, whereas tymazoline and β-carotene are the dominant terpenoids and carotenoids found in the sample. Coating and MAP treatment slightly affected the phytochemical profile of the mango slices after six months of frozen storage because the major compounds were present in both the control and CA+Mix samples (CaCl2 coating followed by treatment with a mixed CaCl2 and chitosan solution). Moreover, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins, identified by m/z values in the range of 105–419, were lost during storage, possibly due to ice crystals. This study demonstrated that coating by the CA or CA+Mix method combined with MAP improved the color and phytochemical content (quinic acid, gallic acid, tymazoline, and trigonelline) in ripe mango slices subjected to conventional freezing; thus, this technology could be applied to reduce costs in commercial applications.